Product Description
Michael brings the remarkable Erebus back to life, following it from its launch in 1826 to the epic voyages of discovery that led to glory in the Antarctic and to ultimate catastrophe in the Arctic.
The ship was filled with fascinating people: the dashing and popular James Clark Ross, who charted much of the ‘Great Southern Barrier’; the troubled John Franklin, whose chequered career culminated in the Erebus’s final, disastrous expedition; and the eager Joseph Dalton Hooker, a brilliant naturalist – when he wasn’t shooting the local wildlife dead.
Vividly recounting the experiences of the men who first set foot on Antarctica’s Victoria Land, and those who, just a few years later, froze to death one by one in the Arctic ice, beyond the reach of desperate rescue missions, Erebus is a wonderfully evocative account of a truly extraordinary adventure, brought to life by an avid explorer and storyteller.
Please note: North American Edition – Different title, same book!
‘One robust little tub of a boat, two death-defying voyages to the ends of the earth. Palin has given us a fascinating account of the extraordinary courage of nineteenth-century British sailors and officers….Palin illuminates with enthusiasm and respect this chilly history of a bomb ship that made its name first as a polar pioneer and then later as a watery tomb. Enthralling’ – Charlotte Gray, author of The Promise of Canada: People and Ideas That Have Shaped Our Country
‘Expertly written and masterfully crafted, Pain’s story of one ship’s two bold explorations successfully weaves together two hundred years of history into page-turning entertainment.’ – Adam Shoalts, author of A History of Canada in Ten Maps: Epic Stories of Charting a Mysterious Land
‘With this irresistible and often harrowing account, Michael Palin makes a convincing case that one heroic little ship embodied the golden age of polar exploration better than any other: HMS Erebus’ – John Gieger, c0-author of Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition and CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
